By Victor Kanayo
FIFA is reportedly weighing options following battle to host draws for the 2030 World Cup by the three host nations – Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
According to report, the contending venues are the Grand Theater in Rabat Morocco, WiZink Center in Madrid Spain, and the MEO Arena in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.
This came out from FIFA’s report that indicates that each of the three joint hosts put forward a unique venue.
The Contending Venues
Morocco nominated the Grand Theater in Rabat and FIFA described the venue as meeting all the norms with a total area of 25,000 square metres and an auditorium which can seat 1,800 guests.
Spain nominated Madrid’s WiZink Center. This venue boasts a vast 5,800 square meters of space and can host over 16,000 people.
For Portugal, it proposed the MEO Arena in Lisbon. It is known as one of Europe’s largest multipurpose arenas and has previously hosted the Euro 2004 draw. The MEO Arena offers 5,200 square meters of space and seating for 20,000.
Lalla Hasnaa and Brigitte Macron inaugurated the Grand Theater that King Mohammed VI set in motion in 2006 with a whooping budget of MAD 1.677 billion ($170 million).
The venue is considered a cultural powerhouse. It has a 7,000-seat amphitheatre, and a stunning 7.1-hectare layout.